2 days after hanging, jail communique reaches Afzal Guru's kin

NEW DELHI/SRINAGAR: Two days after Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru was executed inside Tihar Jail, his family in Sopore in J&K on Monday received the letter 'informing' them that he would be hanged. The letter was sent on February 7.

The two-line letter is cryptic and cold and addressed to Guru's wife, Tabassum. "There was no point beating around the bush. We just stated the fact that Guru's mercy petition has been rejected and that he would be hanged on Saturday at 8am. The needful should be done," said a senior jail official pleading anonymity. But as the letter reached on Monday, the family had nothing 'needful' to do. They are awaiting a response from the government to offer funeral prayers (namaaz-e-janaaza) at Guru's grave in Tihar.

The letter, signed by the superintendent of jail number 3, reads: "The mercy petition of convict Afjal (sic) Guru has been rejected by the President of India... Hence the execution has been fixed for February 9, 2013 at 8 am in Cenral (sic) Jail number 3. This is for your information and for further necessary action."

Vimla Mehra, Tihar director general, confirmed that two copies of the letter had been sent by speed post on February 7 night. "We sent two separate speed posts within minutes of each other so that if one doesn't reach there would be a second one." Tihar officials said that since it takes 24 hours for letters to reach by Speed Post, it should have reached them in time. The letter was reportedly stamped in Delhi on February 8.

The letter was handed over to Guru's brother as his widow was not in a position to receive it. Guru's cousin Yaseen told TOI that the area's postmaster visited their residence and handed over the letter to them. "Initially, we refused to accept the letter, which was addressed to Tabassum, but later our relatives and neighbours prevailed upon us to open and go through its content," he said.

He said the letter was drafted on February 6. "What was the need of getting the letter delivered when the execution happened two days ago," said a relative. Reports said the postmaster came in a car and parked it at a distance.

"Though the government has been claiming that the letter was sent on February 6, the postal stamp from Delhi is dated February 8," Yaseen said. "Getting it delivered now is a crude joke. It's like rubbing salt into our wounds."

John Samuel, chief post master general ( Jammu and Kashmir) said the letter was received on Saturday evening — several hours after Guru was executed — but delivered on Monday as Sunday was a public holiday.

Cornered over the government's failure to intimate Guru's family members about plans to hang him, home minister Sushilkumar Shinde at a presser waved a photocopy of the speed post receipt saying "two speed posts within a gap of 10 minutes were sent on the evening of February 7".

He remained evasive on questions whether the government made it sure that the family was informed before carrying out the execution. "I have information that communication was sent to the family. The letter was sent on February 7 night and the action was taken on February 9," he said.

He evaded a question on if it was necessary to depend on Speed Post when other methods, like a phone call or a telegram, could have been used and maintained that the rules of jail manual were followed.